ORLANDO – Good news continued for the UNC Pembroke athletics department's external operations team on Monday when the Braves won one gold and a pair of silver medals for the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) "Best Of" honors from the organization.
Initiated in 2003, the NACMA "Best Of" Awards program honors outstanding achievements in marketing and promotions. Awards are presented in 16 categories, with each category divided into three groups based upon school size and conference affiliations to promote fairness. The winners were recognized during the 2025 NACMA Convention Awards Ceremony on Monday.
UNCP falls into Group III which represents all Division II Institutions, Division III Institutions, NAIA Institutions, Junior College Institutions, Community College Institutions and Canadian Institutions.
The Braves earned a gold medal under the category of Game Day Promotion for its efforts during basketball season for the inaugural Tribe Night doubleheader. Members of the Lumbee Tribe staff members presented both coaching staffs with Lumbee Tribe pins and also gave both visiting coaching staff members prayer ties. The men's team unveiled Lumbee Tribe inspired uniforms, which fans could buy replica jerseys following the event.
The Black & Gold earned a pair of silver medals in the Community Engagement and Digital Media Engagement categories. The Braves expanded their American Indian Heritage across all three athletics seasons and over multiple sports for a yearlong campaign and partnership with the community. UNCP brought in members of Lumbee Tribe to speak to student-athletes to continue the education and partnership between the town and the university. For Digital Media Engagement, the Braves displayed a Black History Month series on social media. The series featured student-athletes and coaches in the athletics department sharing their stories to help increase fan engagement.
UNCP's external operations team has claimed 42 NACMA "Best Of" Awards over the last eight athletic seasons.
